Sietsema Review Brews You Can Use The Quarry House serves up a world of beers By Tom Sietsema Sunday, April 9, 2006 Having lost an old friend myself recently -- the late, great, hole-in-the-paneling known as Stoney's in Washington -- I sympathize with the regulars of the venerable Quarry House in Silver Spring. Once known for its hamburgers and pitchers of beer, the Georgia Avenue dive hasn't shuttered, but it did change hands late last year. The new owners, Jackie Greenbaum and Patrick Higgins of the hip Jackie's nearby, tried to reassure everyone that they would keep the funky character of the original even as they began tweaking the place. Out went those pitchers of beer and a few longtime servers; in went some microbrews and an actual chef. Regulars immediately complained that the burgers weren't the same. Greenbaum bragged that her patties were made with organic beef. ("We're buying our own cows!" I heard her tell a clutch of customers not long ago, referring to the grass-fed beef from a purveyor in West Virginia who grinds the fresh meat to her specifications.) Depending on your point of view, the "new" Quarry House is a disappointment or a delight. I showed up with an open mind and no ties to the place, having never experienced the Quarry House B.J. ("before Jackie"). I immediately fell in like with the old jukebox, which plays "Walk the Line" as sung not by Joaquin Phoenix but by The Man in Black himself, Johnny Cash. The wood bar pulled me in, too, its surface worn down over the decades by a million tired elbows. On the other hand, I could do without the flat-screen TVs , and the dingy men's restroom that looks as if it hasn't been updated since Prohibition. The burger? Sometimes it's overcooked, other times it's as juicy as you want it to be. Always, it is thick, nicely seasoned and presented on a fine sesame seed bun in a plastic basket, like all the chow here. The sandwich comes with a choice of potato chips that are made right there, in a closet of a kitchen, or tater tots or a salad. If I want to splurge, I'll get those chips and hope they're crisp (they sometimes arrive limp); a dill-spiked dip from an old James Beard recipe makes for fun dunking. If I'm feeling fat, I'll ask for the radish- and carrot-strewn green salad, which is prettier than one might expect from a tavern and is best eaten with the house-made blue cheese dressing. The burger is a better choice than the lame grilled cheese sandwich, the wimpy cheesesteak and the routine soft tacos with chicken. The short menu holds a few surprises. One involves a flaky empanada stuffed with black beans and rice. It's very good. Yet the real shockers are the chicken wings labeled "hot." Ignited with habanero chilies, the snack is blazing, searing, eyelash-curling. A buddy gave up after one bite, and that was after he tried to douse the flames in a quarter-cup of blue cheese dip. Old and scruffy is a hoot when the servers play along and the grub is good. But that isn't always the case in this basement watering hole. One night my young waitress took my drink order as if she didn't know her employer served pinot noir; later, she delivered the entrees ahead of the appetizers. When I pointed this out to her, she returned the entrees to the kitchen --- where they languished on a shelf as a friend and I ate our starters: a rigid chicken satay with cement-thick, refrigerator-cold peanut sauce and a black bean soup that tasted as if it had been made only with black beans, nothing more. Thank goodness the martini was strong and the brew was diverting. (The new owners expanded the beer list to include, among other labels, Belgium's esteemed Chimay and Britain's very good Young's Oatmeal Stout.) The Quarry House is a work in progress and far from a perfect pub. But Greenbaum and company have lots of ideas up their sleeves --- live music a few nights a week, lunch service, a new bar fashioned from vinyl records, more than Rice Krispie treats for dessert. While I wait for the joint to come together, I'll take comfort in what legions of visitors have before me: a burger and a beer.
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